The present invention relates generally to the field of sports headgear and in particular to a new and useful mechanism for attaching and removing a faceguard from various types of headgear.
When people engage in contact sports as well as other dangerous and potentially dangerous activities, often a situation arises where an athlete or participant is injured, paralyzed or even killed. For example, a conventional football helmet typically includes a face opening covered with a protective face mask that is permanently secured to the helmet. The face mask is often grasped by another player causing the head to twist relative to the player's body. Such a twisting motion can result in serious cervical injuries.
Often when a player or participant is injured, a medical professional must assess and sometimes also treat the injury at the very place the injury occurred.
When trainers and doctors are examining a player who has been injured, they often will need to ask the injured person questions. They also may need to look into the player's eyes and generally examine the persons face. Additionally, sometimes the injured person will need to drink water or in extreme cases will need oxygen to be administered. Therefore, a trainer or physician's view of and access to the injured persons face must be unobstructed. Accordingly in such situations, the person's faceguard must be removed.
Thus, there has always been a need for ways and means to attach and remove the faceguard from a player or participant's protective headgear and the prior art provides several means of doing so.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,759 to Zide discloses shock absorbing mounts for the face guard of a helmet having a substantially rigid shell and being connected to the shell allow substantial movements of the face guard relative to the helmet shell in response to forceful blows on the face guard. The mount protects the head of the wearer of the helmet from severe shocks and also prevents severe deformation of the helmet shell. The mount can be installed at all points of attachment of the face guard to the helmet to provide a resilient anchorage for the face guard without loss of security.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,729 to Coates et al. discloses an attachment configuration for the face mask of a football or ice hockey helmet comprising three snap-in attachments. The snap-in attachments are configured to resist without detachment sudden impacts and jarring regardless of direction. The attachments thereby prevent removal of the face mask from the helmet in normal play but reduce the likelihood of neck injury to the player in the event the face mask is accidentally or purposely grabbed in play. Each attachment comprises a plastic clip fastened to the helmet and formed with an elongated aperture adapted to receive the bottom of a U-shaped bar extending from the mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,938 to Snow, Jr. discloses a face mask release apparatus for a contact sports helmet which includes a face mask having a three point attachment to the left and right respective side portions of the helmet and to the forward forehead area of the helmet. The attachment includes a plurality of posts, positioned in pairs on each respective side of the helmet in the temple areas and a ball and socket connection in the forehead area. Each post includes a grooved area formed around the post defining a narrowed diameter section and a bracket carried at the ends of each side of the face mask forms a releasable connection with the posts in virtually all directions away from the helmet and along the helmet so that the user is protected from head and neck injury when force is applied to the mask in any of one of a plurality of directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,552 to Parkinson discloses a helmet face guard mount which includes a thin, elongated resilient pad having a curved configuration dimensioned for securement between an ear hole and a forward side edge of a conventional football helmet. Opposite ends of the pad are secured by threaded fasteners directly to the helmet. A resilient strap extends around a side bar portion of the face guard and is secured to a central portion of the pad, intermediate the opposite ends of the pad. The central portion of the pad and the attached strap are free to shift within the physical elastic limits of the pad upon application of force to the face guard. The fasteners which secure the pad to the helmet, may be at least partially integral with the pad. The strap which secures the face guard to the pad may also be integrally formed with the pad.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,400 to Spencer discloses a detachable face mask assembly for a helmet which includes upper and lower mask assemblies removably secured over the helmet face opening with a series of clips. The upper mask assembly includes a first outer component and a first inner component concentrically received therewithin. The inner component may be pivoted upwardly or laterally to provide temporary access to a user's eyes or nose. The lower mask assembly likewise includes a second inner and a second outer component with the inner component pivotable to either side to provide temporary access to a user's mouth or chin. Each of the components are readily and independently detachable from their respective clips upon a predetermined amount of force being applied thereto.
However, when examining and treating an injured player or participant it is also always very important to avoid moving their head and neck and to keep the head and neck still and straight at least until the injury is full assessed so that any potential or actual damage to the vertebra, spinal chord or head is not exacerbated or caused. Also, when treating many injuries it is important to treat the player or participant as soon as possible.
All of the above mentioned prior art references, however, fail to solve the problem addressed by the present invention because in order to remove the faceguard from headgear which uses the prior art requires relatively violent movement. Additionally, many of the prior art mechanisms include several points of attachment. When using one of the prior art approaches, it is very difficult to keep a player or participant's head and neck completely still while trying to quickly remove their faceguard. As a result, stress is placed on the head and neck which may exacerbate an existing injury or even cause the player or participant further injury.
There remains a clear need for a faceguard retainer which can firmly attach a faceguard to a helmet, which is simple in design and at the same time will allow a quick and smooth removal of a faceguard from the headgear in the event a player or participant is injured and needs to be examined and possibly treated at the location at which the injury occurred.